Winter crops puzzling

Hey Atlanta Marie,



It's me, scruffyfeathers. I learned a lot with my spring garden and summer garden. Nothing to brag about for sure. Corn looked like Okra, butter peas were small as well my purple hull. In the second garden I amended the soil and that garden did quite well. We filled the freezer section of two side by sides and had to buy an upright 21 cu ft freezer which is 1/4 full now.



By the time I was ready to plant my winter garden I had plenty of rich compost and the soil was in very good shape. I planted my winter garden on September 15^th. However, I think I planted in the wrong place. My cole plants are only getting filtered sun opposed to full sun. The plants themselves, look fantastic but I still think I have a problem.



No problem with bugs and slugs. Plants look exceptionally healthy and the cabbage, Brussel sprouts, and Broccoli leaves all taste great. Its been 68 days and my Brussel sprouts are only the size of BBs. My Broccoli heads are only about 3 inches across, my cauliflower heads are the size of golf balls and my red and savory cabbage heads are about the size of tennis balls. After 68 days, shouldn’t these plants be producing larger veggies?

Hey AtlantaMarie,



Oops, I forgot how to post pictures. I am working on that now so you can see what I am talking about. 

scruffyfeathers wrote:
No problem with bugs and slugs. Plants look exceptionally healthy and the cabbage, Brussel sprouts, and Broccoli leaves all taste great. Its been 68 days and my Brussel sprouts are only the size of BBs. My Broccoli heads are only about 3 inches across, my cauliflower heads are the size of golf balls and my red and savory cabbage heads are about the size of tennis balls. After 68 days, shouldn’t these plants be producing larger veggies?

Me too.  I planted my fall veggies on 8/31 and I have harvested some lettuce, peas, radish and that's about all.  My broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage sound about like yours.  Hope this freeze doesn't set them back.  I too have a problem with the sun in the fall.  I get good sun from morning to about 1 O'clock and then the sun goes behind the trees.  So with the diminished sun and cooler weather, things just don't grow as fast.

Well, Yolos, should I just give them more time?  The broccoli is still tight and firm but the little bb sized brussel sprouts have been this size for an entire week.

url=https://servimg.com/view/19235712/72][/url]



see, the plants look 'cept for the brussel sprouts

url=https://servimg.com/view/19235712/75][/url]

Yolos, I was just in Brooks yesterday.  I was on Horton Creek Trail.  Do you know where that is?

scruffyfeathers wrote:Yolos, I was just in Brooks yesterday.  I was on Horton Creek Trail.  Do you know where that is?

Wow, your plants sure look a lot better than mine.  I gave up growing Brussel sprouts because I just couldn't get the timing right. 

I live about 5 minutes from Lake Horton.  Between Lake Horton and Hwy 85.  I don't know where Horton Creek Tail is but I assume it is fairly close to Lake Horton.

I have a bunch of my family coming for Thanksgiving weekend so I will be harvesting anything within reason for fresh veggies.  Whether they are full size or not.  The only thing I will try to keep growing overwinter (other than the garlic/leeks) is lettuce, spinach and carrots.

Scruffy, I think everything looks great. I don't get cabbage heads until spring.

Hi Scruffy!  How are you???

  

Sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you.  Had an Instructor class in all weekend along with a bachelor party in on Saturday....  It's nice to have my house back.

Everything looks great!  It's just going to take longer in this cool weather.......  I was thinking maybe you could cover them at night since it's getting so cold and you could put some lights in there with them for warmth....  Yolos posted a great article on that.  I think it was under The Winter Journey post...  A little more warmth MAY help....  ???  But it's still getting pretty warm here in the afternoons.

Sorry I can't be of more help.....

Hey Yolos,



Ditto, lots of food to prepare. Last year when we lived in the city everything was store bought. This is the first thanksgiving/Christmas where all but the stuffing and cranberry sauce is coming from our little farmlet. We have chickens, turkey and pigs that we “share raise” on my wife’s cousin’s farm just down the road. We will be moving them (the live stock) here next summer.

 



Our first garden was hardly a success with regards to what I initially planted. My first spring garden was in red clay with no amendments. Although not a complete failure, everything was really small. Our summer garden did better as I amended the soil with lots of compost and mulch. My winter garden looks fantastic with the exception of the Brussel sprouts. I would think the little Brussels should have developed a little more than what they have.





We are really excited about our “self sufficient” venture and I really appreciate your positive comments on our experimental Winter garden. This site has proven to be a real “gold mine” of information and feedback. A huge Thank You to everyone that has offered advice and instructions.





Horton Creek Tail is just off of 92 heading toward Fayetteville. I am building a walk-in cooler for next year and Friday night I was hauling material when my truck decided to die. I met a man at a little feed store in Brooks. He offered to haul my trailer to his place for safe keeping while I awaited a tow truck. The following morning he offered to bring my trailer to my house but I had already made arrangements with my neighbor. I was really impressed with his assistance. If he is a true representative of the people living in Brooks, I am truly impressed.

sanderson wrote:Scruffy,  I think everything looks great.  I don't get cabbage heads until spring.

Hey Sanderson,

It has been a few months since we last talked.  I planted on September 15th.  As I said, it has been 68 days and while the plants all look good, I am concerened about the slow growth rate of my Brussel Sprouts.  The plants seem to be healthy and we have been using the lower leaves for stir fry.  So, I am pleased with the plants but I am curious about how long I should wait for the brussel sprouts to mature.

I have been pruning the lower leaves of my broccoli and making chedder and broccoli soup which tastes great.  We have made cabbage rolls using the cabbage leaves and they turned out well as well.  The heads are large enough where I can harvest a few of them for Thanksgiving.

What I am looking for is some advice on the brussel sprouts.  I have read that they are to be harvested throughout the winter before the first "freeze". I am weeks away from that so my question is: "Am I being aprehensive and un-neccessarily worrysome"? 

I have been all over the net looking for the maturity rate of brussel sprouts that can give me any definate answer but all I have managed to do is confuse myself with too much information.

I think we have similar climate. If so, the sprouts should form heads in the spring.

Nice looking cole crops, Scruffy!

I am the last person to help with Brussel Sprouts but here goes.  From what I saw on the web, days to maturity is somewhere around 85 - 105 days.  I think that means from transplant date but I am not sure.  Somebody who actually can get a harvest needs to chime in.  Did you transplant on 9/15 or sow seed on 9/15.

Here are a couple articles about Brussel Sprouts.  The one written by Bonnie Plants says that you can top the plant to speed up harvest?????

http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/brussels-sprouts/harvesting-brussel-sprouts.htm

https://bonnieplants.com/growing/growing-brussels-sprouts/

AtlantaMarie wrote:Hi Scruffy!  How are you???

  

Sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you.  Had an Instructor class in all weekend along with a bachelor party in on Saturday....  It's nice to have my house back.

Everything looks great!  It's just going to take longer in this cool weather.......  I was thinking maybe you could cover them at night since it's getting so cold and you could put some lights in there with them for warmth....  Yolos posted a great article on that.  I think it was under The Winter Journey post...  A little more warmth MAY help....  ???  But it's still getting pretty warm here in the afternoons.

Sorry I can't be of more help.....

Hey AtlantaMarie,



Actually, you and many others here at SFG have been quite helpful.



A lot has changed since we last exchanged posts. Due to the season change, my days are rather hectic as well with plans running amuck, equipment breaking down the days are just getting too cotton picken short.

  

Insofar as my little winter garden url=https://servimg.com/view/19235712/76][/url] is concerned, I do have a 20 x 25 tarp that I can toss over the plants and a ceramic heater to ward off any freeze. Although it has been below freezing twice now I have not noticed any damage to my plants even though I have not tented, covered or hooped them. My mulch is thick enough to protect the roots and it is my understanding the cole plants can handle the cold nights and moderate days.

 

I think my problem is that it is not getting direct sun. They are getting about 4 hours of “filtered” sun. They really aren’t in the shade, but it is not direct sunlight. I do have a patch that is about 50’ x 80’ that gets full sun in the winter so I intend on using all that space next year for my cole‘s, carrots, turnips, url=https://servimg.com/view/19235712/78][/url] garlic and such next year. Obviously, I will need to hoop all that.



As I’ve told Yolos and Sanderson, my primary concern is focused on the Brussel sprouts. url=https://servimg.com/view/19235712/77][/url] The plants are fairing well and we are eating the leaves but the little Brussels are “tiny” after two months. From all the confusing articles I have read, that doesn’t seem right. I guess it is a “wait and see” type situation.



I am not a Hottie and it seems to work to my benefit. I’ve emptied my compost bin url=https://servimg.com/view/19235712/79][/url](it holds about 8 cubic yards) once this summer and I have about 10 yards that will be ready for spring. I am also building an 8’ x 12’ walk-in cooler for temporary storage.

 

I have two restaurants and one roadside veggie stand that have committed to buy our produce. Brenda was born and raised in this area so a lot of her friends have offered to support our venture but we have not held them to any commitment fees.



Sweet Potatoes! url=https://servimg.com/view/19235712/80][/url]  Wow, do they ever do well here. Out of 18 plants I harvested about 300 pounds. From each plant I get 3 to four tubers that weigh in between 8 and twelve pounds and a bunch of moderate to smaller tubars that finish out each dig to about twenty pounds. I was shocked and was afraid the weren‘t going to be any good but after I aged them, they all turned out to taste very sweet. I don’t know what is in this dirt, but they sure love it!  This is from just one plant and weighs in over 22 pounds.  Although I didn't put something tocompare the size, two of these woppers are over 4 pounds each!



As soon as things start to slow down around here I will begin sharing more of my posts. You guys (sfg) have really been a super source in helping me put this little venture together. Thanks to you all!

Scorpio Rising wrote:Nice looking cole crops, Scruffy!

Thanks Scorpio.  This is my first "winter" garden.  You guys here at SFG have really beested my confidence and given me much needed information toward putting all this together.

yolos wrote:I am the last person to help with Brussel Sprouts but here goes.  From what I saw on the web, days to maturity is somewhere around 85 - 105 days.  I think that means from transplant date but I am not sure.  Somebody who actually can get a harvest needs to chime in.  Did you transplant on 9/15 or sow seed on 9/15.

Here are a couple articles about Brussel Sprouts.  The one written by Bonnie Plants says that you can top the plant to speed up harvest?????

http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/brussels-sprouts/harvesting-brussel-sprouts.htm

https://bonnieplants.com/growing/growing-brussels-sprouts/

Thanks for the info. I came across the same but was not sure if the number of days to harvest were referring to transplants or from seeds. I transplanted mine so if that is the case for transplants, then I don’t have anything to worry about as I still would have a few weeks before they actually mature.



Thanks for the links.  I will check them out.

Most maturity rates are based on spring plantings. For fall they need a lot more time to mature. It has to do with the sun available to them. In spring as the plant matures there is more and more sun. In the fall the sunlight gets less.

Thanks, thanks sense.

Scruffy, I am really impressed...  Especially with those sweet potatoes!  How did you cure them?

My timing was waaaay off for both early spring and late fall crops. Learning as I go! Start earlier is my take-away. But I have a much shorter season than you, scruffy.

AtlantaMarie wrote:Scruffy, I am really impressed...  Especially with those sweet potatoes!  How did you cure them?

Thanks! 
The way I cure them is a little weird. We have “zone” heating and air in the house. We have two spare bedrooms so I turned one into a “curing” room for potatoes, carrots, garlic and onions. I did have to move a thermostat into this room. This is only temporary until I finish my walk-in cooler. Be that as it may, the system I use does work. The lowest temp I can set the room at is 65 degrees and the air is dry. From what I have read, this is important to use dry air. I do have a dehumidifier but I have yet to need it.

I have some really neat folding or collapsible plastic crates that are 14 inches wide, 22 inches long and five inches high. The open sides and bottom look like those red or blue milk crates. I got 100 of them at an auction for .75 cents each.

I first dig three sweet potatoe plants and set the tubers out on elevated pallets in the pine section of the yard. I set them over the cracks of the pallets so there is little contact with the wood and lots of air flow. There is lots of shade and there seems to be a natural convection current moving from the open area of the yard to the pine area so I always have air flow even on calm days to circulate around the tubers. I do this for ten days. The next week I dig three more plants. I do it this way because it gives me enough time to inspect the tubers and not waste too much time to take away from my other chores. Anyway, on day 11 (or when I get around to it) I use a soft brush to knock most of the dry dirt off of them and place them in the crates. I can get all the tubers from one plant into a single crate in a single layer. I stack three crates each week and bring them into the house.

I removed the 4” x 12” vent in the floor. I place the stack of three crates centered over the first 5 inches of the vent. The next stack of three crates are stacked opposite to the first stack again covering only 5 inches of the vent. This leaves a 2” x 4” opening in the center.

We bought an upright freezer and kept the box it came in. It measures 32” wide by 38” long by 76” high. I cut one side to make a door so I can slide the box around the two stacks of crates. It is almost a tight and perfect fit. I also cut a 4” hole in the top so the forced air from the vent can escape. I can stack the crates 9 high. Each new stack goes on the bottom so I pull the older potatoes from the top as I sell them. I don’t sell them until they have been in this little cooler for at least 4 weeks. I won’t have enough room for my carrots, garlic and onions when they come in so that is why I am building the walk-in which is designed to hold the temp at 38 degrees, I will do a video and still shots to share as I build it.

Oh, one problem I did have with my cardboard cooler (other than bringing all sorts if bugs into the house) is the window faces directly west. Curtains weren’t enough to keep the sun and heat out so I put rolled r-13 batting insulation over the window and tacked up some black plastic to hold it in place. It is not a pretty setup and Brenda is not at all pleased, but she is tolerant for the time being. She has told me that it would behoove me to build the walk-in before next spring.

Anyway, that is how I cure and store them.

Scorpio Rising wrote:My timing was waaaay off for both early spring and late fall crops.  Learning as I go!  Start earlier is my take-away.  But I have a much shorter season than you, scruffy.

Yep, the varied season lengths and climate do come into play.


I have been reading as much as I can but it's the differant planting seasons from the various posts make it such a confusing search. 

The way I look at it, this is just a small experimental winter garden so rather than panic I am just going to set back and observe.  That way I will know what works for "my" next years winter garden in my area.

scruffyfeathers wrote:

Scorpio Rising wrote:My timing was waaaay off for both early spring and late fall crops.  Learning as I go!  Start earlier is my take-away.  But I have a much shorter season than you, scruffy.

Yep, the varied season lengths and climate do come into play.


I have been reading as much as I can but it's the differant planting seasons from the various posts make it such a confusing search. 

The way I look at it, this is just a small experimental winter garden so rather than panic I am just going to set back and observe.  That way I will know what works for "my" next years winter garden in my area.

Yes, I agree. Really, this whole first year was a trial and error thing. I planted too much patty pan squash, too much chard, and too many pole beans. Not enough carrots, beets, lettuce, spinach, and need more variety in the tomatoes. All came on at once. It really is interesting. My squash crowded out my carrots. Yukon Gold potatoes were great! Peppers did nothing, for whatever reason....

Thanks for the explanation, Scruffy!  Wish I had the room to do that....  And I've got to get something figured out for next year.  But you've given me a place to start and I appreciate it!


Now......